Felicity – A Philosophical Fable [Chapter 19]
Plump red tomatoes hung on their stems, heavy and ripe and ready to eat. Mimi and Fae gently plucked them and laid them in a shallow woven basket.
Then they gathered spinach leaves and lettuce leaves, carefully removing each leaf without tearing it. They piled the rich green leaves in the basket with the tomatoes.
The bell peppers were next. Each pepper started out green and was now as yellow as the sun. A second basket was needed to hold them all.
The carrots and radishes came last. Mimi showed Fae how to grasp the leaves at the base and pull the root out of the earth. Soon the second basket was as full as the first.
Mimi took one basket and Fae the other. They placed the baskets on their heads and carried them inside. The others were waiting. When they saw Mimi and Fae laden with baskets, they were quick to help. Ryder took Mimi’s basket and put it on one of the low tables. Wave did the same with Fae’s basket. Sunny and Tripp arranged six floor cushions around the table.
Then the feast began.
The tomatoes were sweet and juicy. So juicy that within a few bites they all had juice running down their chins. They laughed as they wiped their mouths and went back for more.
Next they tried the bell peppers. Wave picked one up and flicked its firm smooth skin with his finger. It made a satisfying hollow sound. He did it again and again, tapping out a rhythm. Everyone else bit into the crisp yellow fruit and savored the sweet flavor.
Each root and leaf and fruit had its own taste. Its own unique scent and texture and color. So everyone had a favorite or two. Fae liked the spiciness of the radishes. Tripp especially enjoyed the leafy taste of the lettuce and spinach. He rolled each leaf into a cylinder before eating it.
Tripp looked abstracted as he ate, as if he were deep in thought. And indeed he was. He was composing a poem. Everyone noticed and no one disturbed him.
His book lay open in his lap. The words of his poem gradually appeared on the blank page. They changed as he thought, combining themselves one way and then another until they were just the way he wanted them. When his poem was ready he looked up from the page.
Everyone stopped crunching carrots to listen.
Hues of the harvest:
Green, yellow, orange, and red –
The beauty of time.
They all clapped and insisted on hearing it recited again. Then the feast continued.
The food was filling. Unlike their usual food, the vegetables were wholesome and substantial and nourishing. And the nourishment would last. The vegetables would sustain them much longer than their usual food. Sunny wouldn’t have to interrupt her painting as often to eat. Wave wouldn’t have to set aside his instruments as often and Fae wouldn’t have to stop dancing as often.
Unlike their usual food, this food was hearty. And as they ate it, they gradually became full.